Help Prashant support widows of Indian soldiers to earn for their families

“The soldiers who attain martyrdom have only one hope in their hearts...that after they are gone, the citizens will protect and care for their families in the same manner,” says Mr Prashant Tewari, President of VeerNari Shakti Resettlement Foundation, who hopes to provide a dignified source of livelihood for martyr widows, through a sustainable kitchen model. 

The soldiers who never came home are called heroes. The ones slain on the borders protecting the nation that they hold dear are martyrs. When their mortal remains covered in tricolour are put to rest with honours, our country of millions mourn for them. The life of a fallen soldier, ends there. But the lives of their families don’t.

Men die one death but women die a thousand

We soon forget the bereaved mother who lost her son or the desolate widow who will still send her child to the Army in spite of a personal loss. What the death brings to them is unspeakable grief and trauma. While a few women put on a strong face, pull together and move on, there are hundreds who lose themselves to the grief of the tragedy.

Aasha* and her one-year-old little son was awaiting Sepoy Goverdhan Singh Sisodia’s return for his leave from work. But sadly, Aasha has to wait forever for a reunion as what came back was a casket carrying her husband’s lifeless body. Sepoy Goverdhan, who chose to combat the crossfire instead of watching their baby boy grow, is now only a memory.

“The psychological trauma from the death of her loving husband pushed Aasha* to attempt suicide, despite the fact that her toddler son would have been orphaned. She couldn’t cope with the loss and required immediate medical and psychiatric intervention. With the husband being gone, she was also left with nothing to sustain financially. This is the life aftermath for every veer naari in India who lose their husband to the country,” says Mrs Varsha, Managing Trustee, VeerNari Shakti Resettlement Foundation.

As per government statistics, there are 6.8 lakh widows only of Indian Armed Forces and 97% widows are of soldiers from the lowest ranks i.e, jawans and sepoys from rural India. With their husbands lost, they find it hard to cope mentally and sustain their family financially. 

The new man of the house

This is where VeerNari Shakti Resettlement Foundation comes in. They reach out to these brave women in their time of sorrow and not only help them overcome the trauma through counselling, but also provide them sustainable livelihood through their resettlement programmes. VNS is also the only NGO in India working officially with all three Indian Armed Forces in supporting the families of martyrs.

“We wanted to channel their grief towards empowerment. We wanted to help them fight back the tear, to leave their sorrow behind, play the role of both father and mother…and to become self-reliant. That pushed us to start this self-sustainable kitchen model. We wanted the veer naris to have a source of livelihood which they are proud of” - Mr Prashant Tewari, President of VeerNari Shakti Resettlement Foundation.

The all-women kitchen model that the organisation plans to run will give livelihood to 55 beneficiary families from lower-income backgrounds who want to sustain themselves. VNS’s food production programme will bring together martyr widows and families, giving them salaried jobs and a source of dignified, sustainable livelihood. 

VeerNari Shakti which functions in 15 states needs ₹50 lakh to build their first kitchen and pay for the operational costs, including wages to the widows for one year. With your kind contributions these brave women will carve a new path for themselves and their families and live with dignity. 

Donate to give back the care and protection you received to the martyr families.

*Name changed to protect identity